Theory and Practice of the Musical Theatre 3301-KB353
This class is intended for BA students interested in the musical theatre, its history, typology and critical analysis. During classes, selected examples of classic musicals, from the 1920s to the beginnings of the 21st century, will be discussed. The examples will be analyzed in chronological order, locating them within a broader socio-cultural context, with additional information on theoretical and critical approaches to the musical theatre as a genre. Selected examples will include, among others: Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Finian’s Rainbow, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Hello Dolly, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge.
Students must be at least in the second year of their BA studies and should have basic knowledge of the history of theatre as an art form.
In case of online education: students will receive weekly prerecorded video materials. Moodle, Youtube and GoogleMeet platforms will be used. Live GoogleMeet classes will be held every other week during the time slot provided for the course.
Office hours: Mondays 10.30-12.00 (GoogleMeet - please request via email).
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
- K_W02 - understand key terminology, well established methods and theories of culture studies in reference to the musical theatre
- K_W04 - describe the relation between language, literature, and historical and cultural processes on an advanced level in relation to the musical theatre
- K_W09 - identify on an advanced level the multiplicity of cultures and their complexity, cultural codes, as well as structural and institutional background of culture, with special focus on English-language musical theatre
Skills
- K_U01 - employ the terminology and methodological tools from culture studies, especially concerning musical theatre
- K_U02 - employ the correct methodology to study musical theatre within English studies, respecting the ethical norms and copyright law
- K_U03 - analyze cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis with respect to the social, historical and economic context to focus on musical theatre
Social competences
- K_K03 - value responsibility for one’s own work and respect the work of others, adhering to the professional and ethical norms in various projects and other activities undertaken at work, voluntary services, etc.
- K_K04 - apply the skill to critically assess communicated content to think and act independently in various social situations
Assessment criteria
Students are required to write a final essay on a chosen topic, related to the course. The topic of the essay must be discussed with the teacher (min. 2000 words). Students should also actively participate in classes and fill in online tests. The Final Test on Moodle counts towards the final grade.
3 absences are allowed.
Bibliography
Altman, Rick, The American Film Musical. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1987.
Charyn, Jerome. Gangsters & Gold Diggers: Old New York, the Jazz Age, and the Birth of Broadway. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003.
Citron, Stephen. Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber: The New Musical. New York: Oxford UP, 2001.
Gołębiowski, Marek. Musical amerykański na tle kultury popularnej USA. Warszawa: PWN, 1989.
Grant, Barry Keith. The Hollywood Film Musical. Chichester: Willey-Blackwell, 2012.
Jones, John Bush. Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theatre. New Haven: University Press of New England, 2003.
Morley, Sheridan. Spread a Little Happiness: The First Hundred Years of the British Musical. London: Thames and Hudson, 1987.
Snelson, John. Andrew Lloyd Webber. New Haven: Yale UP, 2004.
Sternfeld, Jessica. The Megamusical. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2006.
Story of Musicals, The. Documentary film. BBC Four, 2012.
Woolman, Elizabeth. The Theatre Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical from Hair to Hedwig. The University of Michigan Press, 2006.
CD and DVD recordings of selected musicals.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: